WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1547/97 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Council. Phosphate ester poisoning due to the use of Tiguvon (Fenthion) manufactured by Bayer Leverkusen
Date: 1997-05-05
Institutions: BREYER, European Parliament
Subjects: EU law, chemical product, dangerous substance, domestic animal, health risk, impact study, insecticide, marketing, proof, public health

11. 3. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 76/41

(98/C 76/118)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1547/97

by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Council

(5 May 1997)

Subject: Phosphate ester poisoning due to the use of Tiguvon (Fenthion) manufactured by Bayer Leverkusen

The  flea-repellant  Tiguvon  (Fenthion)  manufactured  by  Bayer  Leverkusen  can  be  administered  in  different
forms. Tiguvon 10 is intended for cats over 2 kg in weight. The use of Tiguvon 20 is recommended for dogs
weighing between 3 and 10 kg, while dogs with a body weight of more than 10 kg should be treated with Tiguvon
20 G. People who have repeatedly treated their pets with Tiguvon (Fenthion) have suffered serious phosphate
ester poisoning. As the Commission was unable to answer my Question E-1470/96 (1) on the same subject, I
would ask the Council to answer the following questions as a matter of urgency:

When will the burden of proof at last be reversed throughout Europe where injury is suffered as a result of the
marketing of these and similarly dangerous products, the dubious benefit of which bears no relation to the risk
they entail?

(1)  OJ C 345, 15.11.1996, p. 76.

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-1533/97, E-1535/97, E-1537/97,
E-1539/97, E-1541/97, E-1543/97, E-1545/97 and E-1547/97

(25 September 1997)

The  Council  has  to  date  not  received  any  proposal  from  the  Commission  directly  concerning  the  multiple
problems raised by the Honourable Member.  However, the Council would draw the Member(cid:146)s attention to the
fact that at this stage there is not yet any Community harmonization of the status of these products which are
treated, depending on the evaluation of Member States, in particular as medicinal or biocidal products.  Bearing
this in mind, as regards certain aspects of the questions put by the Honourable Member, the Council would point
out that:

› 

following the 19th adaptation to technical and scientific progress (1) of Annex 1 to Directive 67/548/EEC on
the  approximation  of  the  laws,  regulations  and  administrative  provisions  relating  to  the  classification,
packaging and labelling of dangerous substances, the Annex lists FENTHION under No 015-048-00-8 in the
index (2);

›  under the common position adopted by the Council with a view to adopting a future Directive concerning the
placing of biocidal products on the market (3), Annex V to which covers antiparasitics, these products may
be marketed only after their active substances have been entered on a positive Community list and after a
detailed assessment of the risks they might entail notably for human health.

(1)  OJ L 258, 11.10.1993, p. 29.
(2)  OJ L 258A, 16.10.1993, p. 212.
(3)  Common position of the Council of 20.12.1996, OJ C 69, 5.3.1997, p. 13.

(98/C 76/119)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1628/97

by Ba·rbara Du¤ hrkop Du¤ hrkop (PSE)

to the Council (14 May 1997)

Subject: Use of fishing licences

What view does the Council take of the anti-Common Market statements made by the British Conservative Prime
Minister,  John  Major,  in  Cornwall  during  the  electoral  campaign,  in  which  he  threatened  to  hold  up  the
Intergovernmental Conference if the latter did not put a stop to the buying and selling of fishing licences from the
quota of one Member State by companies from other Member States?

Does the Council not believe (as the Court of Justice has held on a number of occasions in the past) that the
principles  of  non-discrimination  and  the  free  movement  of  persons,  services,  goods  and  capital  are  basic
principles of the internal market and the common fisheries policy?